Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII Ordnungspolizei double decal M35 steel helmet manufactured in 1937, retaining approximately 85-90% of its original prewar apple green finish, both original decals at approximately 90%, a clearly visible 1937 interior dome inspection stamp, and a matching period 1937 dated size 55 M31 liner. The shell is stamped ET62 with rear lot number 3655 and retains an original wartime chinstrap, though the long section is broken.

This stamped steel M35 shell retains much of its original smooth prewar Apfelgrün, or apple green, finish. There is light service wear with scattered scratches and areas worn through to darker underlying layers, but the overall paint retention remains strong at approximately 85-90%.

The left side carries the police eagle decal, while the right side retains the red shield national emblem with white field and mobile swas. Both decals remain approximately 90% intact and show only moderate wear. The clear top coating has aged to a warm yellowed tone, giving both decals a well developed period appearance.

The left interior skirt is stamped:

ET62

identifying manufacture by by Eisenhüttenwerk AG of Thale, located in the Harz district in Saxony, Germany. Size 62 is a nice smaller size that can accommodate liners from 54cm to 55cm or US 6 3/4 to 6 7/8. The rear interior skirt is stamped with lot number:

3655

Inside the crown, the original inspection dome stamp remains unusually clear and reads:

Abgenommen
I
1937
Beschaffungsamt
für Heer und Marine

indicating acceptance in 1937 by the procurement office for the Army and Navy. Surviving dome stamps are often faint or lost entirely, making the strong retention of this marking a particularly notable feature of the helmet.

All three original liner retaining pins remain present and retain a substantial amount of their exterior paint.

The helmet retains its original M31 leather liner, which shows moderate use and later storage damage. Several fingers are torn or deteriorated, with two nearly completely missing. The original top tie remains present but has broken in the past and was retied with an additional knot. The surviving leather shows splitting and flaking where it bends over the inner liner band.

The aluminum liner band has reinforced sides and square aluminum chinstrap loops, representing the later aluminum configuration used before the transition to galvanized steel bands. The left side is marked:

62 n.A. / 55

indicating a size 55 liner fitted to a size 62 shell. One of the liner fingers is also stamped 55 within a circle. The right side is marked:

Metall-Lederverarbeitung W.Z.
1937
Bln.- Ch'burg 5

for Werner Zahn of Berlin-Charlottenburg, dated 1937.

An original chinstrap remains attached and has the correct aluminum buckle and attachment hardware associated with the earlier configuration. The shorter buckle section remains intact and in very good condition. The longer strap is broken through at the fifth adjustment hole from the pointed end, and the leather has become quite stiff from age and long storage. The detached end is retained and marked:

E.E.K.
KOP. 41

indicating a 1941 dated wartime replacement or later fitted chinstrap component. The exact identity of the E.E.K. maker remains uncertain.

With its ET62 shell, lot number 3655, approximately 85-90% surviving apple green finish, approximately 90% retained double decals, exceptionally clear 1937 dome inspection stamp, 1937 dated size 55 liner, and surviving original chinstrap components, this is a strong prewar manufactured Ordnungspolizei M35 helmet that remained in service into the WWII period. The damaged liner fingers, retied top cord, stiff and broken chinstrap, light finish wear, and decal wear are all fully disclosed. It would fit especially well in an Ordnungspolizei, M35 helmet, prewar German police, double decal helmet, or advanced German WWII headgear collection.

The German Stahlhelm:
The first "modern" steel helmets were introduced by the French army in early 1915 and were shortly followed by the British army later that year. With plans on the drawing board, experimental helmets in the field, ("Gaede" helmet), and some captured French and British helmets the German army began tests for their own steel helmet at the Kummersdorf Proving Grounds in November, and in the field in December 1915. An acceptable pattern was developed and approved and production began at Eisen-und Hüttenwerke, AG Thale/Harz, (Iron and Foundry Works), in the spring of 1916.

These first modern M16 helmets evolved into the M18 helmets by the end of WWI. The M16 and M18 helmets remained in usage through-out the Weimar Reichswehr, (National Defence Force, Circa 1919-1933), era and on into the early years of the Third Reich until the development of the smaller, lighter M35 style helmet in June 1935.

In 1934 tests began on an improved Stahlhelm, whose design was a development of World War I models. The Eisenhüttenwerke company of Thale carried out prototype design and testing, with Dr. Friedrich Schwerd once again taking a hand.

The new helmet was pressed from sheets of molybdenum steel in several stages. The size of the flared visor and skirt was reduced, and the large projecting lugs for the obsolete armor shield were eliminated. The ventilator holes were retained, but were set in smaller hollow rivets mounted to the helmet's shell. The edges of the shell were rolled over, creating a smooth edge along the helmet. Finally, a completely new leather suspension, or liner, was incorporated that greatly improved the helmet's safety, adjustability, and comfort for each wearer. These improvements made the new M1935 helmet lighter, more compact, and more comfortable to wear than the previous designs.

The Army's Supreme Command officially accepted the new helmet on June 25, 1935 and it was intended to replace all other helmets in service.

More than 1 million M1935 helmets were manufactured in the first two years after its introduction, and millions more were produced until 1940 when the basic design and production methods were changed, replacing the multi-piece riveted vent with one stamped directly into the steel. Later, in 1942 the rolled steel rim was removed from the pattern to further expedite production.